ArielSRL
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2006
Table of Contents
Introductions
Day 1, Part 1
Day 1, Part 2
Day 2, Part 1
Day 2, Part 2
Introductions
Day 1, Part 1
Day 1, Part 2
Day 2, Part 1
Day 2, Part 2
Last edited:
A Quick March Birthday Getaway (updated 4/29/19)
- Thread starter ArielSRL
- Start date
ArielSRL
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2006
Introductions
Hello! Welcome to all of my previous readers, as well as any new readers! We've recently took a quick March birthday trip for my youngest, Will, who turned five on March 3 so I thought I would share our adventures. This is a different trip, because we didn't even go to a park. We have APs but we haven't activated them yet (we will in June), and we spent my oldest son's birthday (October) in Disney, so we thought we would drive down for a quick weekend just to relax and celebrate at our favorite place ever. It was quick but fun! So I hope you follow along!
First off, here's the obligatory family photo:
Fun times with my goofballs in October!
Now let me introduce you individually to the cast of characters:
First up is my DH, Chad. If you have read my previous TR, you know that Chad is a full on Disney convert. In 2017, he made his first trip in 35 years. He suffers from anxiety and generally dislikes crowds and lots of people. But, even though Disney has crowds and lots of people, the magic was too much for this guy and he is now almost as big a fan as me.
His favorite characters are Mickey, Figment and The Muppets. His favorite things at Disney are Sanaa, the atmosphere at Wilderness Lodge and Whispering Canyon Cafe, Flight of Passage, drinking around the World at Epcot, and everything at MK because we all enjoy being there and he could see how much the boys love Disney there.
Next up is:
Will, Birthday Boy, 5 years old, pre-k-er, been to Disney five times now. He says his favorite rides are IASW, PotC, Buzz and People Mover. It used to be Goofy's Barnstormer and I was excited that he would become my roller coaster buddy...alas, that didn't last long and now he refuses to ride it! We did get him on 7DMT and Splash Mountain in June 2018, but he refused in October 2018. Oy.
Oh and his favorite movies are the Cars movies and his favorite characters are, of course, McQueen, Mater, Cruz, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Donald and Daisy! Whew!
Then we have:
AJ, 7 years old, first-grader, and my serious kid! He has been to Disney six times, now. He is definitely not a thrill rider as he is tall enough for almost all - or probably all at this point - of the rides but he refuses most of the height restricted ones. He is more willing than Will to be bribed to ride them though! HAHA! His favorite rides are Pooh and Tomorrowland Speedway. His favorite Disney movie is Moana and his favorite characters are Winnie the Pooh, Maui, and Pua.
Lastly, there is me:
So, Disney fanatic - if you can't tell or don't already know, travel agent specializing in Disney, Disney World drink taster...haha. I *think* I have been to Disney about 20+ times but I honestly do not remember all my visits as a kid so it could be more.
My favorite rides are ToT and BTMRR. My favorite characters are Maleficent, Rapunzel, Ariel, Aurora, and Rey from TFA...though I also have much affection for Mulan, Stitch, and recently, Cruz Ramirez. Favorite movies are Little Mermaid, Sleeping Beauty, Tangled, and The Force Awakens. Also, I have lots of love for Mulan, Lilo & Stitch, Brave and Zootopia. Um...can you tell how indecisive I truly am??? HAHA. It would probably be easier to tell you who and what I don't like as opposed to who and what I do like. #Disnerd
So...the trip! We headed down to Disney March 1-3 for Will's 5th birthday and we stayed at Pop Century. We did lots of eating, drinking, and shopping! And I am ready to share it all with you!
Thanks for joining in!
Hello! Welcome to all of my previous readers, as well as any new readers! We've recently took a quick March birthday trip for my youngest, Will, who turned five on March 3 so I thought I would share our adventures. This is a different trip, because we didn't even go to a park. We have APs but we haven't activated them yet (we will in June), and we spent my oldest son's birthday (October) in Disney, so we thought we would drive down for a quick weekend just to relax and celebrate at our favorite place ever. It was quick but fun! So I hope you follow along!
First off, here's the obligatory family photo:
Fun times with my goofballs in October!
Now let me introduce you individually to the cast of characters:
First up is my DH, Chad. If you have read my previous TR, you know that Chad is a full on Disney convert. In 2017, he made his first trip in 35 years. He suffers from anxiety and generally dislikes crowds and lots of people. But, even though Disney has crowds and lots of people, the magic was too much for this guy and he is now almost as big a fan as me.
His favorite characters are Mickey, Figment and The Muppets. His favorite things at Disney are Sanaa, the atmosphere at Wilderness Lodge and Whispering Canyon Cafe, Flight of Passage, drinking around the World at Epcot, and everything at MK because we all enjoy being there and he could see how much the boys love Disney there.
Next up is:
Will, Birthday Boy, 5 years old, pre-k-er, been to Disney five times now. He says his favorite rides are IASW, PotC, Buzz and People Mover. It used to be Goofy's Barnstormer and I was excited that he would become my roller coaster buddy...alas, that didn't last long and now he refuses to ride it! We did get him on 7DMT and Splash Mountain in June 2018, but he refused in October 2018. Oy.
Oh and his favorite movies are the Cars movies and his favorite characters are, of course, McQueen, Mater, Cruz, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Donald and Daisy! Whew!
Then we have:
AJ, 7 years old, first-grader, and my serious kid! He has been to Disney six times, now. He is definitely not a thrill rider as he is tall enough for almost all - or probably all at this point - of the rides but he refuses most of the height restricted ones. He is more willing than Will to be bribed to ride them though! HAHA! His favorite rides are Pooh and Tomorrowland Speedway. His favorite Disney movie is Moana and his favorite characters are Winnie the Pooh, Maui, and Pua.
Lastly, there is me:
So, Disney fanatic - if you can't tell or don't already know, travel agent specializing in Disney, Disney World drink taster...haha. I *think* I have been to Disney about 20+ times but I honestly do not remember all my visits as a kid so it could be more.
My favorite rides are ToT and BTMRR. My favorite characters are Maleficent, Rapunzel, Ariel, Aurora, and Rey from TFA...though I also have much affection for Mulan, Stitch, and recently, Cruz Ramirez. Favorite movies are Little Mermaid, Sleeping Beauty, Tangled, and The Force Awakens. Also, I have lots of love for Mulan, Lilo & Stitch, Brave and Zootopia. Um...can you tell how indecisive I truly am??? HAHA. It would probably be easier to tell you who and what I don't like as opposed to who and what I do like. #Disnerd
So...the trip! We headed down to Disney March 1-3 for Will's 5th birthday and we stayed at Pop Century. We did lots of eating, drinking, and shopping! And I am ready to share it all with you!
Thanks for joining in!
Last edited:
Jenny Sanders
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2007
Joining in for another one of your awesome reports!!!!
TheOneWithTheTriplets
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2018
Joining in. We traveled with our 5 year olds in March as well. Excited to hear how your trip went.
ArielSRL
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2006
Thank you! Great to have you join!
Thank you! I actually have your TR saved to read!
StarWarsMomofGirls!
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2015
I am here. Can't wait to hear what you did while we were in the same place but never crossed paths! 
ArielSRL
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2006
I know, right?? Thanks for joining!I am here. Can't wait to hear what you did while we were in the same place but never crossed paths!
Thank you!
Wahoo! Coming right up....well as soon as I type it!
ArielSRL
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2006
Day 1, Part 1
Okay, so a little backstory...I booked this trip around Dec 22. I had had a few glasses of wine and figured since we went to Disney for AJ's birthday, it was only fair to go for Will's. At one point he had requested it...plus that means I didn't have to plan a party. Also, we could throw a note under the tree as part of their Christmas! To be completely honest, the reveal went pretty blah but then they warmed up to the idea after it all sunk in.
Fast forward to March 1. Chad and I took this day off. It was a Friday. We normally plan to leave by 6 and get out by 7 but we normally leave on Saturday. This was Friday and I wasn't about to get in Atlanta traffic so the plan was to leave by 5, though we did have some leeway. I woke up when my alarm went off at 4. It takes me a bit to wake up so I got my coffee and started scrolling social media. I think I woke Chad up around 4:45ish. It also takes him awhile to get squared away so really, I knew we weren't leaving at 5. I think Chad initially planned to pack the car the night before but he does work the evening shift so when he got home, he decided to do it Friday morning. I think I got the kids up about 5:45 and we were finally off around 6:24am.
Our drive time was projected to be 6.5 hours. We decided after June 2017 that we will try not to stop for food. We take snacks, stop for bathroom breaks and fill ups and eat when we arrive. The best road trip we have taken was June 2018 where we stopped a total of 3 times! We have not been able to repeat that, but we do make our stops as quick as possible so we can just get there!
The trip was uneventful and I think we arrived sometime between 1 and 2 because we finally made it to the food court by 2:26 and I know we got into our room and brought up luggage before that. I will have to apologize because I did not get a photo of us driving under the gates. I was driving and Chad filmed it on the go pro because we are planning to eventually upload vlogs to our youtube channel (MainStreetPartyOfFour).
So we had gotten our room text and we were in the 70's section. At first I wasn't happy but we were really close to the pool and the main building. We weren't very close to parking though, so Chad had to go find someone to help with luggage. It didn't take too long but after we got all our stuff, we decided to change into bathing suits - after all the back and forth with the weather, it turned out beautiful - and head to the food court. It was fairly busy, which is one of my main complaints about Pop, but we did manage to get all our food and check out by 2:26, as I mentioned above.
The boys both got the kids meal cheese pizza. AJ got grapes and yogurt with chocolate milk and Will got apple slices and yogurt with apple juice. Will ate most of his and enjoyed it, as you can see from the second photo but AJ didn't eat as much.
Chad got the Meatball Sub with Housemade Chips and Mac-n-Cheese. He wasn't really impressed.
I got the Bacon Cheeseburger with French Fries. The menu says two sides but I think I only got one. I did get the garlic ranch and some regular ranch that I mixed together to dip my fries in and it was yummy. The bacon cheeseburger was good. I ate almost all of it!
Here are our adult beverages. I wasn't really a fan of mine - apparently I am not a Malibu fan - so I think I didn't finish it. However, I forgot to mention I had had a Flip Flop Sangria before we left the room. Hey, I had just driven from Atlanta to Orlando with two kids in the car...no judging!
After we finished lunch, we headed out to the pool. I must have had to go back to the room for something because I think I took this photo from close to our room:
We always ask for highest floor because we prefer to not have anyone above us, so we did get a fairly nice view outside our room.
Chad got the boys all set up while I hit up Petals, the pool bar. I got a Lava Lamp; a groovy mix of Bacardi Limón Rum, Blue Curaçao, Sweet-and-Sour, Sprite and a float of Grenadine. It was good. Chad got a Bourbon Breeze; Bulleit Bourbon with Cranberry, Lime and Pomegranate Juices topped with Fever Tree Ginger Beer:
Because I had been driving all day, I took some time to relax a bit while Chad played with the boys in the pool:
We got another round of drinks but I don't have that receipt so I am not certain what we ordered. Then, I went back and got another Lava Lamp about 50 minutes after getting the first and I know this because I do have that receipt.
Continued in next post...
Okay, so a little backstory...I booked this trip around Dec 22. I had had a few glasses of wine and figured since we went to Disney for AJ's birthday, it was only fair to go for Will's. At one point he had requested it...plus that means I didn't have to plan a party. Also, we could throw a note under the tree as part of their Christmas! To be completely honest, the reveal went pretty blah but then they warmed up to the idea after it all sunk in.
Fast forward to March 1. Chad and I took this day off. It was a Friday. We normally plan to leave by 6 and get out by 7 but we normally leave on Saturday. This was Friday and I wasn't about to get in Atlanta traffic so the plan was to leave by 5, though we did have some leeway. I woke up when my alarm went off at 4. It takes me a bit to wake up so I got my coffee and started scrolling social media. I think I woke Chad up around 4:45ish. It also takes him awhile to get squared away so really, I knew we weren't leaving at 5. I think Chad initially planned to pack the car the night before but he does work the evening shift so when he got home, he decided to do it Friday morning. I think I got the kids up about 5:45 and we were finally off around 6:24am.
Our drive time was projected to be 6.5 hours. We decided after June 2017 that we will try not to stop for food. We take snacks, stop for bathroom breaks and fill ups and eat when we arrive. The best road trip we have taken was June 2018 where we stopped a total of 3 times! We have not been able to repeat that, but we do make our stops as quick as possible so we can just get there!
The trip was uneventful and I think we arrived sometime between 1 and 2 because we finally made it to the food court by 2:26 and I know we got into our room and brought up luggage before that. I will have to apologize because I did not get a photo of us driving under the gates. I was driving and Chad filmed it on the go pro because we are planning to eventually upload vlogs to our youtube channel (MainStreetPartyOfFour).
So we had gotten our room text and we were in the 70's section. At first I wasn't happy but we were really close to the pool and the main building. We weren't very close to parking though, so Chad had to go find someone to help with luggage. It didn't take too long but after we got all our stuff, we decided to change into bathing suits - after all the back and forth with the weather, it turned out beautiful - and head to the food court. It was fairly busy, which is one of my main complaints about Pop, but we did manage to get all our food and check out by 2:26, as I mentioned above.
The boys both got the kids meal cheese pizza. AJ got grapes and yogurt with chocolate milk and Will got apple slices and yogurt with apple juice. Will ate most of his and enjoyed it, as you can see from the second photo but AJ didn't eat as much.
Chad got the Meatball Sub with Housemade Chips and Mac-n-Cheese. He wasn't really impressed.
I got the Bacon Cheeseburger with French Fries. The menu says two sides but I think I only got one. I did get the garlic ranch and some regular ranch that I mixed together to dip my fries in and it was yummy. The bacon cheeseburger was good. I ate almost all of it!
Here are our adult beverages. I wasn't really a fan of mine - apparently I am not a Malibu fan - so I think I didn't finish it. However, I forgot to mention I had had a Flip Flop Sangria before we left the room. Hey, I had just driven from Atlanta to Orlando with two kids in the car...no judging!
After we finished lunch, we headed out to the pool. I must have had to go back to the room for something because I think I took this photo from close to our room:
We always ask for highest floor because we prefer to not have anyone above us, so we did get a fairly nice view outside our room.
Chad got the boys all set up while I hit up Petals, the pool bar. I got a Lava Lamp; a groovy mix of Bacardi Limón Rum, Blue Curaçao, Sweet-and-Sour, Sprite and a float of Grenadine. It was good. Chad got a Bourbon Breeze; Bulleit Bourbon with Cranberry, Lime and Pomegranate Juices topped with Fever Tree Ginger Beer:
Because I had been driving all day, I took some time to relax a bit while Chad played with the boys in the pool:
We got another round of drinks but I don't have that receipt so I am not certain what we ordered. Then, I went back and got another Lava Lamp about 50 minutes after getting the first and I know this because I do have that receipt.
Continued in next post...
Last edited:
ArielSRL
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2006
Day 1, Part 1 con't
I think Chad did eventually make me trade off with him, and that is when he went and got himself another drink per the hotel receipt, so I got some photos of the boys playing in the pool. AJ decided to join in on the pool activities, which were just back that day because of the weather:
I'll just warn you now, that AJ just all of a sudden decided he wanted to do the thing with his fingers on this trip and did it in just about every photo! Boys!
Here's Will:
Here's both my gremlins together:
After they got out of the pool, all my guys decided to play some ping pong and then it was time to head back to the room. When we arrived we saw that Mickey had come by and left one of his gifts (the probable reason I had to go back to the room after lunch):
We all took turns with showers and got ready to head out soon for the evening.
I'll stop there and continue later with the rest of our evening, which we spent looking around Art of Animation.
I think Chad did eventually make me trade off with him, and that is when he went and got himself another drink per the hotel receipt, so I got some photos of the boys playing in the pool. AJ decided to join in on the pool activities, which were just back that day because of the weather:
I'll just warn you now, that AJ just all of a sudden decided he wanted to do the thing with his fingers on this trip and did it in just about every photo! Boys!
Here's Will:
Here's both my gremlins together:
After they got out of the pool, all my guys decided to play some ping pong and then it was time to head back to the room. When we arrived we saw that Mickey had come by and left one of his gifts (the probable reason I had to go back to the room after lunch):
We all took turns with showers and got ready to head out soon for the evening.
I'll stop there and continue later with the rest of our evening, which we spent looking around Art of Animation.
Last edited:
TheOneWithTheTriplets
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2018
Oh man, 6.5 hours without ameal vreak sounds rough. But, I get wanting to speed things up and just get there.
I was in AK on 3/1, so I remember just how good the weather would have been for a pool afternoon. We had a very sunny touring day.
I was in AK on 3/1, so I remember just how good the weather would have been for a pool afternoon. We had a very sunny touring day.
ArielSRL
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2006
We do take lots of snacks so we have plenty to eat. But it most definitely isn't a meal so that's why I chowed down when we arrived!
StarWarsMomofGirls!
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2015
That Jack Jack plush is so cute!After they got out of the pool, all my guys decided to play some ping pong and then it was time to head back to the room. When we arrived we saw that Mickey had come by and left one of his gifts (the probable reason I had to go back to the room after lunch):
vamassey1
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2005
Atlanta traffic is scary!
When we drove in it was almost midnight so it wasn't so bad. So much construction too. We don't seem as hungry when we're driving. Snacking works better.
Haven't stayed in the 70s since 2006.
Doesn't look that great.
Your burger looks much better.
I'm the same way.
Totally understandable.
Good for him.
I like Mickey's rules.
Jenny Sanders
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2007
OMG! Loving the drinks by the pool, just my style!!!!
ArielSRL
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2006
I know, right?
It definitely can be!Atlanta traffic is scary!
Me, too!
Agreed.
ArielSRL
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2006
Definitely a favorite thing!
ArielSRL
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2006
Day 1, Part 2
So after our pool and shower time, we headed over to check out Art of Animation. We got to see the Skyliner station - behind construction walls of course. Made it over:
Then we headed into the main building so we could shop and have dinner.
We spent some time looking around the AoA shop and bought a few items, then headed to Landscape of Flavors for dinner. Again, it was very crowded but we finally got our food and settled into some seats.
Unfortunately I was a bad DISer and did not take food pics here. I got the Caprese Sandwich - Vine-ripened Tomato, fresh Mozzarella, Basil Leaves and Balsamic Drizzle on Ciabatta with choice of two Sides. I don't remember my sides. This was okay but its no Backlot Express Caprese so I was disappointed. I also got the Mermaid Tail Cupcake. It was also just okay.
Chad got a Pepperoni Pizza based on the receipt but I can't find it exactly on the menu. His was 19.98 but the one on the menu is a full pizza for 17.99 so I don't think that's it but I could be wrong. In any case, he said it was horrible.
The boys got pasta (AJ) and pizza (Will). Neither liked their food.
So Landscape of Flavors gets a big thumbs down for us. I've heard good things but we actually prefer the Pop food court.
After this we went over to the Cars section and took lots of photos:
Continued in next post...
So after our pool and shower time, we headed over to check out Art of Animation. We got to see the Skyliner station - behind construction walls of course. Made it over:
Then we headed into the main building so we could shop and have dinner.
We spent some time looking around the AoA shop and bought a few items, then headed to Landscape of Flavors for dinner. Again, it was very crowded but we finally got our food and settled into some seats.
Unfortunately I was a bad DISer and did not take food pics here. I got the Caprese Sandwich - Vine-ripened Tomato, fresh Mozzarella, Basil Leaves and Balsamic Drizzle on Ciabatta with choice of two Sides. I don't remember my sides. This was okay but its no Backlot Express Caprese so I was disappointed. I also got the Mermaid Tail Cupcake. It was also just okay.
Chad got a Pepperoni Pizza based on the receipt but I can't find it exactly on the menu. His was 19.98 but the one on the menu is a full pizza for 17.99 so I don't think that's it but I could be wrong. In any case, he said it was horrible.
The boys got pasta (AJ) and pizza (Will). Neither liked their food.
So Landscape of Flavors gets a big thumbs down for us. I've heard good things but we actually prefer the Pop food court.
After this we went over to the Cars section and took lots of photos:
Continued in next post...
Last edited:
ArielSRL
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2006
Day 1, Part 2 con't
The boys thoroughly enjoyed our foray around the Cars area. Unfortunately we were all getting tired so we never got to check out the other areas - some of us did back in 2016 but I think I'm the only one who remembers - so we made our way to the Drop Off Pool Bar for some to go drinks. I got a Pina Colava - Bacardi Black Razz Rum blended with Piña Colada Mix and Raspberry Purée - and Chad got a Frozen Jack and Coke - Frozen Coca-Cola® Slush blended with Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey.
We made our way back to Pop and did some shopping in their gift shop.Then headed to the room. I think it was probably fairly early, maybe 9, but we were all exhausted from our long drive, pool time, and (some of us) pool drinks! We all headed to bed.
The boys thoroughly enjoyed our foray around the Cars area. Unfortunately we were all getting tired so we never got to check out the other areas - some of us did back in 2016 but I think I'm the only one who remembers - so we made our way to the Drop Off Pool Bar for some to go drinks. I got a Pina Colava - Bacardi Black Razz Rum blended with Piña Colada Mix and Raspberry Purée - and Chad got a Frozen Jack and Coke - Frozen Coca-Cola® Slush blended with Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey.
We made our way back to Pop and did some shopping in their gift shop.Then headed to the room. I think it was probably fairly early, maybe 9, but we were all exhausted from our long drive, pool time, and (some of us) pool drinks! We all headed to bed.
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